Method and apparatus for forming a textured surface on wood

ABSTRACT

A method and apparatus for forming a textured surface on wood panels. A fuzzy or velvetlike texture is formed by sanding a surface of a wood panel across the grain thereof. This serves to break and lift the surface fibers. The textured surface may be formed by feeding a panel in the direction of the grain thereof past a plurality of belt sanders, the belts of which move substantially traverse to the grain direction.

United States Patent Inventor Joseph P.1(neisel 3920 El Lado Drive, La Crescenta, Calif. 91214 Appl. No. 699,697

Filed Jan. 22, 1968 Patented Mar. 16, 1971 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR FORMING A TEXTURED SURFACE ON WOOD 5 Claims, 6 Drawing Figs.

U.S. Cl 144/309,

51/135,161/64 [nLCl 827k 5/00 field ofSeareh 51/135,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 446,962 2/1891 Bryce... 144/309 2,762.173 1/1956 Bout-her. 51/138 3,247,047 4/1 66 Buckley... 144/309X 3,364,626 l/llht Reyes. 51/138 Primary Examincp-0ernld A. Dost Attorney-Lyon 8: Lyon ABSTRACT: A method and apparatus for forming a textured surface on wood panels. A fuzzy or velvetlike texture is formed by sanding :1 surface of a wood panel across the grain thereof. This serves to break and lift the surface fibers. The textured surface may he formed by feeding a panel in the direction of the grain thereof past a plurality of belt sanders. the belts of which moie substantially traverse t0 the grain direction.

Patented March 16, 1971 3 Sheets-Shae t l Patented March 16, 1971 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 r Tr/7 7-121 A TIGZ/VEVE Patented March 16, 1971 3,570,568

3 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR. JOfiE/W/ P K/Vzf/SL METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR FORMING A TEXTURED SURFACE ON WOOD This invention relates to an improved method and apparatus for forming a new and distinctive textured surface on a wood panel. The texture appears fuzzy or flocked or similar to velvet. Typically, the wood panels are plywood panels, particularly those with no perceptible grain pattern, such as lauan.

Users of wall paneling generally prefer the appearance of hardwoods because of the many varied grain textures thereof, but hardwood panels are relatively costly. Many less expensive woods have a rather dull or monotonous appearance because of the lack of a distinctive grain pattern. Lauan, because of the readily available supply thereof, is finding greater use in the manufacture of plywood panels, but this wood lacks distinctive grain and texture and appears monotonous in wall paneling. Various methods have been devised for applying a pattern to, or texturing the surface of, such panels to improve the appearance thereof. Frequently such panels are embossed or otherwise provided with some type of surface texture to improve the appearance and, thus, the salability thereof.

It has been discovered that a particularly pleasing texture can be formed on the surface of panels which lack a distinctive grain or texture by sanding across the grain thereof. The resulting texture is fuzzy and essentially appears like velvet or as if flocked. Such panels when used for wall paneling provide a pleasing wall texture as distinguished from the more conventional wall patterns.

Accordingly, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide an improved method of forming a textured surface on a wood panel.

It is an additional object of the present invention to provide a method for forming a fuzzy or velvetlike texture on the surface of a plywood panel which otherwise has no particularly distinctive texture or grain pattern thereon.

Another object of this invention is to provide an apparatus for forming an improved texture on wood panels.

A further object of this invention is to provide a panel having a new surface texture.

These and other objects and features of the present invention will become better understood through a consideration of the following description taken in conjunction with the drawings in which:

FIG. I is a photographic reproduction of a textured surface of a plywood panel, for example 4 by 8 feet, of lauan which has been provided according to the concepts of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic cross-sectional view taken along a line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a portion of the surface of the panel shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic crosssectional view taken along a lined-4 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5a is a diagrammatic perspective view of apparatus for providing a textured surface on a plywood panel; and

FIG. 5b is a diagrammatic view of two sander belts of the apparatus shown in FIG. 50.

Turning now to the drawings, FIG. 1, as noted above, is a photographic reproduction of a surface of a plywood panel which has a fuzzy or velvet-type texture formed on the surface thereof in accordance with the present invention. The textured surface is formed by sanding across the grain. This causes the surface fibers to break and lift and thereby form a fuzzy or velvet-type surface texture. The panel illustrated is formed of lauan which, as is known, has no distinctive or per ceptible grain pattern. After sanding across the grain, the panel may be grooved as indicated at 10, 11 and 12. FIG. 2 diagrammatically illustrates a cross section of the panel in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of only a portion of the panel shown in FIG. I, and better illustrates the fuzzy texture thereof.

FIGS. 5a and 5b illustrate an exemplary way in which the surface ofa panel may be textured according to the present invention. After a plywood panel 16 is laid up in a conventional manner, it is fed in the direction of an arrow 17, this direction being the same as the grain direction of the panel, past one or more belt sanders 18 through 21. The belt sanders have respective sanding belts 22 through 25 mounted thereon which move in a direction substantially traverse to the feed and grain direction of the panel. The sanding belts thus move at a right angle, or slight angle, across the grain to break and lift the surface fibers of the panel. The depth of sanding is very slight, for example two-thousandths of an inch, and very little pressure need be employed. It has been found that less pressure than generally is required in typical finish sanding is needed and, therefore, there is very little pull and thus a low power requirement for forming a textured surface. The panel 16 is fed continuously past the sanders to provide the textured surface 28 which is better illustrated in FIGS. I and 3. Feed rollers 30 through 33 are diagrammatically shown for feeding the panel past 800 It will be appreciated that the panel also is supported as it passes beneath the sanders. The adjacent sanding belts are slightly overlapped in the manner illustrated for belts 23 and 24 in FIG. Sb. Preferably, the belts 22 through 25 move in the same direction thereby enabling only a single side guide fence (not shown) to be used.

Typically, the feed speed of the panel is approximately 32 feet per minute and the belt speed is approximately 8 hundred feet per minute. A typical sanding belt grit is 12 or 16. However, it will be appreciated that the feed speed, belt speed and grit can be varied depending upon the texture desired. Different coarseness of grits may be used on different belts. Although one long belt sander may be employed, the use of a plurality of sanders allows a slightly different angle of sanding across the grain by each sander, or allows only alternate sections of the panel surface to be sanded. Since the top veneer layer usually is very thin, the plural sander belts also allow more accurate control of the thickness ofcut.

After the surface of the panel is textured, one or more grooves 10 through 12 as shown in FIG. I are formed with cut ters. A Dado blade may be employed for this purpose. The panel may then be stained, for example, through the use of a soft roller.

It will be apparent that a textured surface formed on a wood panel in accordance with the teachings of the present invention adds substantial visual interest to the surface of the panel where otherwise there is little interest because of the nondistinctive grain pattern. The ordinary sanding process normally used to smooth the surface of the panel can be eliminated. Where panels are scarfed. for example in the manufacture of a long panel, a crack or surface line remains which can be effectively eliminated by texturing the surface of the panel according to the present invention. Additionally, plywood panels which normally are rejected because of splits, and other open defects in the surface thereof, can be used because the textured surface formed according to the present invention will hide or erase such defects.

The present embodiments of this invention are to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims therefore are intended to be embraced therein.

Iclaim:

I. A method of forming a texture on the surface of a wood panel having no distinctive grain pattern thereon comprising sanding the surface of said panel substantially traverse to the grain direction thereof.

2. A method of forming a texture on the surface of a rectangular wood panel having no distinctive grain pattern thereon comprising sanding the surface of said panel substantially traverse to the grain direction thereof, and removing at least a portion of the surface of said panel from one end .0 the other thereof to provide a groove therein.

3. A method as in claim I wherein different sections of the surface of said panel are simultaneously sanded substantially traverse to the grain direction thereof until the entire surface of said panel has been sanded.

panel substantially traverse to the grain direction thereof.

5. A method as in claim 4 wherein said sanding belts are moved at a speed of approximately 800 feet per minute, and said relative motion is approximately 32 feet per minute 

1. A method of forming a texture on the surface of a wood panel having no distinctive grain pattern thereon comprising sanding the surface of said panel substantially traverse to the grain direction thereof.
 2. A method of forming a texture on the surface of a rectangular wood panel having no distinctive grain pattern thereon comprising sanding the surface of said panel substantially traverse to the grain direction thereof, and removing at least a portion of the surface of said panel from one end to the other thereof to provide a groove therein.
 3. A method as in claim 1 wherein different sections of the surface of said panel are simultaneously sanded substantially traverse to the grain direction thereof until the entire surface of said panel has been sanded.
 4. A method of forming a texture on the surface of a wood panel having no distinctive grain pattern thereon comprising positioning a plurality of sanding belts movable in a first direction, and imparting relative motion to said sanding belts and said panel to cause said belts to sand the surface of said panel substantially traverse to the grain direction thereof.
 5. A method as in claim 4 wherein said sanding belts are moved at a speed of approximately 800 feet per minute, and said relative motion is approximately 32 feet per minute. 